The Line of Best Fit • 19 February 2026

samxemma’s “SEE SEE WHERE WE GO” confronts toxic love through hyperpop intensity

Shaped more by the internet than any one city, samxemma’s Sam Cooper and Emma Kirsch describe their sound as distinctly online. “We don’t sound like we’re from Manchester,” Cooper admits. “All the music I find is online.” Yet their meeting was offline; at university. “Freshers week at Spoons,” Kirsch recalls – she is originally from San Diego, with Cooper from Northampton.
At the time they first met, they were both already making music but in separate bands. Cooper describes his as “The 1975-es...

The Line of Best Fit • 5 February 2026

My First Time skewer dopamine culture on snarling new single “Picture Of Health”

“Picture Of Health” tells the story of a fictional character who lives vicariously via online fitness and financial gurus, drifting through each day in pursuit of the next short-lived rush. “I’ve parted seas and I’ve smoked cigarettes, I’ve travelled a thousand miles just to make love in your bed. I’m a picture of health,” lead singer Isaac Stroud-Allen snarls on the chorus.
He created the character, with the track being inspired by ”over the top, emphatic tracks” like Bonnie Tyler's “Holding Ou...

DIY • 5 February 2026

DIY Class of 2026: Nectar Woode

For Nectar Woode, performing is at the heart of what she does, so it’s little surprise to learn that her set at Glastonbury this summer serves as the obvious highlight of her year. “It’s always been a dream of mine. I was stunned. I couldn’t believe I was [doing it]. There were so many people there,” she grins. “It was Friday and everyone was hopeful for the weekend. Everyone that goes to Glastonbury is gassed to be there, they know it’s a privilege, so the energy is 10/10. I felt great, the aud...

The Notts Review • 5 January 2026

The Notts Review Zine #3

Featuring:
- My interview with JayaHadADream
- My interview with LYVIA
- My interview with The Grove
- My top 5 releases of 2025

LeftLion • 29 November 2025

How local goth-punks Bloodworm built their profile with live shows

Though it would have been easy to stick to regular Nottingham gigs when they were starting out, Bloodworm were eager to push themselves further afield. "We started playing out of town very quickly, in places like Manchester," Chris reflects. "In our first four years, our focus has been gigging rather than releasing music." George adds, "We haven't done much TikTok or influencer stuff like a lot of bands have. We've done it just through playing gigs, which is the harder way of doing it, but it's...

DIY • 25 November 2025

She’s In Parties: “If you write thinking ‘this is going to be for a big venue’, it’ll happen”

Since releasing their debut EP ‘End Scene’ in 2023, Essex-London quartet She’s In Parties have been quietly carving out a world of their own: one of shimmering dreamscapes, soft-focus melodies and emotionally charged reflections. Now, with their third EP ‘Are You Dreaming?’, the band are moving beyond their shoegaze roots.It’s a shift that, as Irish-born lead vocalist Katie Dillon explains, stems as much from personal upheaval as artistic growth. “I moved away from the rest of the band just over...

God Is In The TV • 15 November 2025

LIVE: Sunday (1994) / Matt-Felix - Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, 13/11/2025

For a band that only released their first single (‘Tired Boy’) in 2024, Sunday (1994) have quickly built a cult following in the UK. The band may be based in LA now, but founding member and guitarist Lee Newell hails from Slough – a blend of origins that helps them resonate on both sides of the Atlantic. Their dreamy, cinematic sound is woven together with a carefully crafted visual identity: vocalist Paige Turner is almost exclusively seen in black and white, and fans were encouraged to mirror...

DIY • 10 November 2025

Chiedu Oraka: “I belong here; there’s no imposter syndrome anymore”

Emerging from Hull’s underground scene, rapper Chiedu Oraka has carved out a name for himself as one of the North’s most uncompromising and inspiring voices. And with his latest EP ‘Undeniable’, he’s proving that years of graft, grit and self-belief can turn local roots into something truly global.“I feel like, at first, I used to get frustrated about not getting a look in, always feeling like if I was from a bigger city I would have got further with my music,” he reflects today. “Now, I see it...